On that missed 4th down conversion

[Zordon]

It should have been a QB keeper. Weeden is a big boy. Immediately when we saw we were short on 3rd down we should have lined up and went on a quick count. I loved the decision but hated the play call. That was so weak it was embarrassing.

garrett has never utilized the qp sneak in his time here.

if that was brady/belicheck they would have rushed to the line and snuck it in before arizona was set.

 

[RoboQB]

Poor play selection... why not fake the dive play and send the FB to the flat like Washington did to us on Monday night on 4th and 2???
Arizona was stout at the LOS all day... do something less predictable for crying out loud!... Anything!

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

I think a pitch could've worked. But the run call was good. The defense didn't have the pass to fear for. They made a good play.

 

[Beast_from_East]

Poor play selection... why not fake the dive play and send the FB to the flat like Washington did to us on Monday night on 4th and 2???
Arizona was stout at the LOS all day... do something less predictable for crying out loud!... Anything!

Yea, I have seen more creative 4th down plays by 10 year olds playing Madden................lets run a halfback dive with 11 guys in the box, they will never expect it

 

[Idgit]

Liked the decision to go for it, didn't like the specific play call there.

 

[Clove]

It's one of the plays that has been in Garrett's offense no matter who is calling the plays that I have always hated. When we need 1-2 yards, we need to keep our normal formation with 2 wide rather than a "bunched" formation. Instead, we cram everyone together and the odds for success drop considerably. I'm actually more stunned when it works than surprised when it doesn't.

I said this exact thing in the game day thread. You bring all the defenders in to stop the run. If you go 2 TE set with 2 wides, they have no way of knowing what you're going to run.

I just don't get the football IQ of this coaching staff sometimes. Like Marinelli running a 3 man rush on a near goal line situation. Have some freaking ***** man. Go after the QB, and on offense, don't allow their stout run defense to not think. There was no thinking on that play for the Cards, we KNOW they're running it, let's just go in and stop it.

 

[Floatyworm]

should've kicked the FG

Exactly......

Make it 14-13

Kickoff and pin them deep...Play some D.

I wonder if that plan even crossed our coaching staffs mind???? Because they sure seemed to coach like the offense had to carry the load.

 

[bark]

Poor play selection... why not fake the dive play and send the FB to the flat like Washington did to us on Monday night on 4th and 2???
Arizona was stout at the LOS all day... do something less predictable for crying out loud!... Anything!

Like the idea but I'm thinking by that point in the game the coaching staff had zero confidence in weeden completing the pass

 

[ConstantReboot]

... do you think we may have had better luck with a pitch to the outside?

YES YES and YES.

The entire defense knew the ball was going up the middle. What ever happened to pitching it outside instead?

 

[ConstantReboot]

I loved the call, I wanted to see how our offensive line would match up in a power situation. I wanted to pound it through the defense. It turned out, that the Cardinals defensive line is very tough to move. As was the case all night, the nose tackle would not be moved. This playcall was for fans who say we should run it in short yardage situations, (I'm one of them) I hope that the failure on this play does not set the precedent for future games, Dallas needs to defeat the defense mentally with tough physical running.

Failure on the coaches for making this stupid call. I also knew we weren't making this. If Garrett was such as genius he would have called time out and put two backs in there. Fake the hand off to the fullback, and pitch it out to Murray. Thats what they did with Harrington on short yardage situation.

This is what I don't like about Garrett. I bet this was his call. He should never, ever call another NFL game if he wants to make it as a head coach. That call up the middle was nothing more than a disaster.

 

[ufcrules1]

Same here. Just before the snap I told my son they will get stuffed. Stupid stupid call.

Is the QB keeper even in our play book?

We NEVER run the QB keeper. I have only seen it a few times. Last time I can remember was like 2011 against the Giants in the win and you're in game and they stuffed it then.

 

[xwalker]

It's one of the plays that has been in Garrett's offense no matter who is calling the plays that I have always hated. When we need 1-2 yards, we need to keep our normal formation with 2 wide rather than a "bunched" formation. Instead, we cram everyone together and the odds for success drop considerably. I'm actually more stunned when it works than surprised when it doesn't.

This exactly.

The probability is higher if they run from a normal formation or even from a 3 WR formation.

 

[Nav22]

Failure on the coaches for making this stupid call. I also knew we weren't making this. If Garrett was such as genius he would have called time out and put two backs in there. Fake the hand off to the fullback, and pitch it out to Murray. Thats what they did with Harrington on short yardage situation.

This is what I don't like about Garrett. I bet this was his call. He should never, ever call another NFL game if he wants to make it as a head coach. That call up the middle was nothing more than a disaster.

Hahahaah.. so calls that work are credited to Scott Linehan, our playcaller.

But the calls that fail? "Stupid Garrett!! I bet that was HIS call!"

 

[Aven8]

Wanted a sweep there yesterday, but after looking at it Weeden should have rolled out and it would have been a TD as all 11 were on the line. Of course Weeds would have had to complete the dang thing!

 

[conner01]

If we had pitched to the outside, and the run had been stuffed, then people would ask, "Why didn't we just run it straight up the middle?"

Sometimes hindsight is 20/20.

and if we had kicked the fg people would have complained about not going for it. thats just the way fans are

 

[Super_Kazuya]

and if we had kicked the fg people would have complained about not going for it. thats just the way fans are

Or if we passed it, "OMG, we have the leading rusher and this OL and we don't run for one yard!"

 

[hutch1254]

I know our current identity is the run and typically I'm fine with the 4th down try in most situations like yesterdays. However, to me, the way the game was flowing and the fact that at that point you saw Weeden was struggling to get points on the board I really think you needed to take the FG there. I felt anytime you had a chance to walk away with points yesterday with Weeden at the steering wheel I felt you had to take them.

Otherwise in most scenarios I'm fine with going for it on 4th and 1. The play and the line didn't execute well there. Plain and simple.

 

[nathanlt]

Yea, I have seen more creative 4th down plays by 10 year olds playing Madden................lets run a halfback dive with 11 guys in the box, they will never expect it

Clearly, the play call was not designed to win honors for creativity. Sometimes, a team wants to assert its dominance, make a statement. I'm glad the Cowboys took the chance, it represents a winning attitude. In this case, the Cowboys lost the battle, and the game because of it. Murray has the vision to pick any opening created, anywhere along the line. It just wasn't there.

 

[Doomsday101]

... do you think we may have had better luck with a pitch to the outside?

Not really, I'm not saying outside pitch would not have worked but then you pitch outside and get hit behind the line then the question becomes why did you not run it off Guard. To me it was not between which run plays but between a long FG (within Range) and going for it. Myself I would have rather attempted the FG cutting the score to 13 to 14 but I can't say I overly disagreed with Dallas going for it.

 

[dcjules]

It's one of the plays that has been in Garrett's offense no matter who is calling the plays that I have always hated. When we need 1-2 yards, we need to keep our normal formation with 2 wide rather than a "bunched" formation. Instead, we cram everyone together and the odds for success drop considerably. I'm actually more stunned when it works than surprised when it doesn't.

That's the problem...we allowed ourselves to be predictable by the formation.....20/20 hindsight yes, but a play action would have been a ballsy move!!